Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 178

Even Logan was stunned that Gillian would boldly demand the rights the second she walked in.

Arthur Jennings's face darkened, and Sebastian Jennings didn't hold back.

"Give them to you? Since when does the Lockwood family know anything about the pharmaceutical industry?"

Gillian scoffed dismissively. "It's just selling medicinal oil. The formula is already complete. How hard could it be to open a factory?"

Emma stared at the lavish spread on the table, having completely lost her appetite.

She stood up. "Grandfather, enjoy your meal. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. I'll visit you at the Jennings estate another day."

Carter immediately stood up, grabbed her bag, nodded politely to the Jennings elders, and followed her out.

Arthur sighed heavily. Gillian continued to complain, "She has zero manners. The elders are still sitting here, and she just struts out."

Beatrice eagerly chimed in. "Exactly. She's just a wild, parentless brat. Rotten to the core."

"Enough!"

Arthur roared, his fury directed entirely at Charles Lockwood.

"Emma hosted this dinner for us. Your family insisted on crashing it. Emma tolerated it, and we tolerated it. But your absolute lack of gratitude is appalling."

Arthur left some things unsaid, maintaining a thin shred of dignity for the Lockwoods.

Charles swallowed his anger, unable to formulate a defense.

Beatrice, however, remained unapologetic. "That wretched girl just has a little power now. Your Jennings family is far too eager to kiss up to her. You practically begged to give her the formula, and look—she didn't even want it!"

Arthur felt dizzy with rage. Biting back a string of harsh curses for the sake of his daughter who was still married into their family, he gritted his teeth.

"We are leaving."

Supported by Sebastian, Arthur walked out, his hands trembling with anger.

Beatrice sneered, utterly disgusted by what she perceived as the Jennings family's sycophancy.

In the blink of an eye, only the Lockwoods remained in the private room. Beatrice continued her relentless tirade against Emma and the Jennings, while Charles sighed heavily, his mind racing to find a way to secure the Elixir distribution rights.

Gillian had only crashed the dinner hoping to see Percy Harrington. Realizing he wasn't there, she made an excuse and slipped away.

Logan sat at the table, mechanically picking at his food as Travis's words echoed in his mind.

Just what kind of hell had Emma lived through over those six years?

"I'm leaving too."

Logan dropped his silverware. The moment he stepped out of the restaurant, he made a phone call.

"Run a full background check on Emma's six years abroad. I want every single detail. Leave nothing out."

He suddenly realized he didn't even have the right to be jealous.

As the car door shut, Travis shot him a provocative, supremely confident smirk.

"Drive."

Carter maintained his stoic facade, but barely a hundred feet down the road, he snapped, "Stop."

He stared silently into the rearview mirror, watching Travis walk intimately close to Emma, supporting her. The fact that she didn't push him away sent a crushing wave of jealousy through his chest.

If Emma hadn't been investigating Pamela Palmer, he wouldn't have even had the chance to be this close to her.

Once the truth came to light, what would he do?

He couldn't live without her. The sweetness of having her by his side was already carved into his bones.

"Boss, are we still heading to the hotel?"

Jeff asked nervously. Carter snapped out of his thoughts.

After a long silence, a determined, predatory glint filled his eyes.

"In exactly thirty minutes, call her. Tell her the police just authorized a meeting with the kidnapper, but she needs to be there early tomorrow morning. Tell her to come back and rest."